“Where did you say this Amleth Hall is located?”
Lyssa feared she hadn’t heard him correctly. She pulled her plaid tighter around her shoulders. “Close to Appin. Abrams—I mean,Charley—told me we were perhaps only two days from there.”
“Heading north, right?”
Her heart skipped a beat. “Yes.”
“Then let’s go.” He didn’t wait for her response but turned and started in the opposite direction Fielder and his men had gone.
Lyssa stood rooted to the ground, stunned by his sudden change of mind.
The Irishman paused, looking over his shoulder. “Are you coming? I assure you, Miss Harrell, the walk won’t be easy. We’d best get on with it and put as many miles between ourselves and Fielder as we can.”
“Why?” she asked bluntly. “You were set against it when I offered money. And my father won’t pay you until I’m delivered to him in London.”
“Aye, but north is the direction Fielder and his men don’t expect us to take. You are certain you still have family there?”
“Yes, I should.”
“Then we can hope they will help us get you safely to London. There are many roads to the capital. We’re merely taking one that is unexpected. Now, we’d best start marching.”
Still Lyssa did not move. There was more here—her women’s intuition told her so—and she wanted to know what it was. “Is that your only reason, Irishman, to avoid Fielder?”
The moonlight turned his eyes to quicksilver, and she sensed he saw everything, knew all. His answer surprised her. “I understand wanting to be accepted, Miss Harrell. I understand all too well—and my name isCampion, not ‘Irishman.’ I’ll thank you to use it. Now come.”
He didn’t wait for her response, but turned off the wagon path and started walking through the woods.
Chapter Five
DUMBFOUNDED, Lyssa stared after the Irishm—
Her mind stumbled over the appellation as she broke off the thought.Campion. He wanted her to call himCampion.
She frowned. The pride in his voice nagged at her conscience. The man had saved her life, but he was too high-handed by half. And at this moment, he was walking away as if he didn’t care if she followed or not.
No. Heexpectedher to obey.
Which she did, because she had no other choice.
She picked up her skirts and followed, but rebellion brewed in her mind. Think what he may, she wasnotreturning to London.
She wouldnotmarry Robert or go through another humiliating Season of idle, patronizing chitchat from those who only pretended to like her to please her stepmother or even her father. She was too old for such nonsense.
She wanted purpose in her life, and she knew she would find it here, in Scotland, the birthplace of her parents.
In the meantime, she would contrive to be everything a proper, biddable young woman should be. After all, when they reached Amleth Hall and she refused to return to London with him, the Irishman would be cheated out of a great deal of money, and he wasn’t going to take it very well.
So, Lyssa did her best to “march,” but keeping up with him was a challenge. He had a long stride and moved as if he planned to cram the two days of travel inside this one night. She wasn’t about to complain. Living with her father had taught her it was best not to pull on the watchdog’s whiskers, and this man was definitely a watchdog.
Of course, it didn’t help that her stockings were wet from their dash through the stream, and that water had seeped into her tight shoes, causing blisters to form on her feet.
She ignored the increasing pain each step caused her, and focused on placing one foot in front of the other.
She stumbled over a root growing over the path.
For a second, she was in midair, heading for the ground. But Campion turned, with that uncanny ability of his to know everything that was happening, and in the next instant, her cheek was against the solid wall of his chest. He set her on her feet. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” She took a step away from him. He wasn’t the only one with pride. “I’ll be better when we arrive someplace where we can hire horses.”
